[AGL] Pete, Mike and Peggy

[Gerry]

Thumbed his nose at the HUAC and became an indicted "criminal".

Thumbed his nose at the Klan in spite of being stoned (literally, at a rally
in the Peekskills for the Civil Rights Congress).

Dedicated himself to uplifting the working class, not just the CPUSA.

A tireless campaigner for peace all his life (even today at age 86.)

Eschewed a life of comfort to work with his hands and do his own thing
against the grain.

Born into the upper class but never joined it.

His parents were divorced when he was eight and the father apparently
started a new family which bore Mike and Peggy (who also caught the spark
from papa.) Pete went to a prep school (financed by his mother's family) and
then to Harvard (scholarship) so it is likely that he wasn't around much
when Mike and Peggy were young. Papa's credo: "What is the music good for?;
and if it bids fair to aid in the independent, capable and democratic
action, it must be approved."

Both father and son "...stood amid peril for his beliefs. He had typified
the principles of all the brave people he had sung about."

Poisonally, I never sang labor songs around the campfire but a couple of
times with Wayne Oates and the Richard's at their ranch in the Hill Country
way back when. I didn't know the words to any of the songs...and I was never
curious enough to learn them, never a folkie. (My father was a blue collar
working man who hated unions...because, he said, they wouldn't let him work
all out the way he liked to do it.)

My preferences were always songs that swung, more into instrumental then
vocal music. In my world Pete Seeger and the like were squares who were lame
musicians, too much like country music which I detested from my early years.
But, alas, as age creeps into my thinking I have grown to admire (altho not
listen to very often) certain lame musicians who sang for the fun of it and
lifted the hearts of many in doing so. In the early '60's I led jazz bands
that were racially mixed in both White and Black clubs in Central Texas, my
claim to lite heroism. "Let's all get together and dig jazz!" I didn't do it
to get rich...maybe out of guilt, maybe out of love...
G



----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Eisenstadt" <michaele at hotpop.com>
To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
<austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 8:52 AM
Subject: Re: [AGL] Pete, Mike and Peggy


> Gerry,
>
> How is a hero? Or, better, a genuine American hero?
> Because he moved to the country? He was not a criminal,
> a good guy, and he built his own place in the country.
> And sang hard to advance the program of the CPUSA
> but didn't join. Does that make him a hero?
>
> Mike Seegar whether or not he is mentioned in the New
> Yorker piece, remains Pete Seeger's half-brother. Peggy
> Seegar is Mike's sister. They spell their last name differently
> than Pete Seeger does.
>
> Mike
>
> "Born in the UUUUesAY, born in the UUUUesAY" - Bruce
> Springsteen
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Gerry" <mesmo at gilanet.com>
> To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
> <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 9:29 AM
> Subject: Re: [AGL] technicolor fallout
>
>
> > The wife, Toshi, is an American who is half Japanese. (Toshi is short
for
> > Toshiko, a popular Japanese name.) They (Seegers) lived most of their
> > lives
> > in a house they built on the cheap in the country in 1949, still live
> > there.
> > He is 86.
> >
> > His style developed by singing to large groups, mostly outdoors with no
> > P/A
> > with groups like the Almanac Singers (with Woodie Guthrie) and the
> > Weavers.
> > The idea was to get the audience to sing along, lift their spirits, to
> > have
> > fun. He liked to sing for children. The studio was an alien environment
to
> > him.
> >
> > The father was an eccentric communist who quit lucrative teaching jobs
(he
> > founded the music department at Berkeley) to travel in a homebuilt
camper
> > (with family in tow) bringing music to the hinterlands. He was
apparently
> > a
> > gifted composer and hung out with the likes of Aaron Copeland, worked
for
> > the WPA, etc.
> >
> > Pete went to Harvard on scholarship, was quite poor and didn't fit in,
> > waited on tables.
> >
> > The NY'er article makes no mention of Mike.
> >
> > In the '50's Pete was indicted for contempt of congress for refusing to
> > answer questions before the HUAC. Found guilty but avoided jail time on
a
> > technicality.
> >
> > Too bad he couldn't sing well, might have been a star...Instead he
was/is
> > only a genuine American hero.
> > G
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Michael Eisenstadt" <michaele at hotpop.com>
> > To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
> > <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
> > Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2006 7:32 AM
> > Subject: Re: [AGL] technicolor fallout
> >
> >
> >> susi,
> >>
> >> I think the thing I disliked most about Pete Seeger's way of singing
> >> was the relentless upbeat rollicky delivery. Also, after I ceased being
> >> pro communist, i began to recognize and resent the relentless leftwing
> >> activism that propelled him (and others). Recently i read an interview
> >> with him in the Sunday NYTimes magazine which filled in on what I
> >> thought I knew about the man. I knew he lived in Beacon and had a
> >> Japanese wife and in person was very tall and knobly. And that Mike
> >> Seegar, who is short and dark, was his half-brother and that his family
> >> had a maid in Washington DC who wrote Freight train, freight train go
> >> so slow who grew up in Asheville, NC
> >>
> >> For me, the big insight in the interview was that Pete Seeger's father
> >> convinced him that the singing of a song was an existential act that
> >> trumped the song considered in itself. This may be good social
> >> psycholology, but it is conducive to bad performance.
> >>
> >> so it was quite a shock to hear Bruce Springsteen take one of the
> >> songs Pete used to sing, and not being a tall, red-cheeked rollicking
> >> folk singer, instead scream the lyrics into the mike in his usual style
> >> of alienated Jersey shore bluecollar youth in full whine mode.
> >>
> >> mike
> >>
> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> From: "susan gilbert" <ssg at efn.org>
> >> To: "survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s"
> >> <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
> >> Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 4:01 PM
> >> Subject: Re: [AGL] technicolor fallout
> >>
> >>
> >> > michael, i agree with you about pete seeger, he did introduce us to
> >> > music from other aspects of our society, where would we be without
> >> > elizabeth cotton's (the seeger family maid) "freight train" , so
> >> > hopefully bruce will do the same for today's uneducated youth, but i
> >> > doubt they will be interested; anyway, as a measure of who got the
> >> > money right now, i bet mr.springsteen  appeals to those folks and
> >> > maybe it will help the future of  new orleans
> >> > susi
> >> >
> >> > On May 1, 2006, at 11:38 AM, Michael Eisenstadt wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Connie,
> >> >>
> >> >> I wish I had been on your birding adventure. Just to see the
American
> >> >> Redstarts a favorite warbler. Of course the painted buntings are so
> >> >> cool.
> >> >> And Black & white warblers are totally neat.
> >> >>
> >> >> I would like to have heard the concerts. One of our subscribers
> >> >> went to
> >> >> San Antonio for the Dylan tour. I heard a cut from Springsteen's
Pete
> >> >> Seager covers album on KUT. It sounded absolute the lamest: just
> >> >> screaming out the lyrics. Nothing like the original in sound or
> >> >> soul. Not
> >> >> that Seager in the original sang much more than a white bread
> >> >> version of
> >> >> folk songs from real folk. But at least he was rollicking in
> >> >> spirit. Not so
> >> >> Bruce. At least on the one cut I heard from the album.
> >> >>
> >> >> Mike
> >> >>
> >> >> ----- Original Message -----
> >> >> From: "Connie Clark" <connie_3c at yahoo.com>
> >> >> To: "BJ's List Ghetto 2" <ghetto2 at listserv.whathelps.com>; "Ghetto
> >> >> List"
> >> >> <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>
> >> >> Sent: Monday, May 01, 2006 12:36 PM
> >> >> Subject: [AGL] technicolor fallout
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >> >>> It was quite convenient for us to get a storm through the area
> >> >>> Saturday
> >> >>> morning, at the end of Spring Migration.  Birders call it a
> >> >>> 'fallout' when
> >> >>> the migrating birds take refuge in the first sight of land and
> >> >>> food source
> >> >>> on Texas beaches.  Around noon Saturday I drove the one hour from
> >> >>> Houston
> >> >>> to the Quintana bird sanctuary to see what was there.  The
> >> >>> sanctuary is
> >> >>> about a square block or more, has trees, thick undergrowth and
> >> >>> water.  A
> >> >>> trail runs through it.
> >> >>>
> >> >>>  About 20 or so other birders where already there, and as soon as
> >> >>> I walked
> >> >>> into the woods it was clear, this was going to be a good day for
> >> >>> birding.
> >> >>> There were so many birds, I didn't have time to check my guidebook
> >> >>> for
> >> >>> identification- I wanted to just keep looking.  So, as my usual
> >> >>> practice,
> >> >>> I sidled up to a group of likely experts, and pointed my
> >> >>> binoculars in
> >> >>> unison with them, overhearing what we were all looking out. Quick
> >> >>> identification that way. Birdwatchers are always nice about such
> >> >>> things.
> >> >>> They love to share a look-see.
> >> >>>
> >> >>>  These birds were in their most brilliant color, feathered finery
> >> >>> and were
> >> >>> quite perky considering they had just flown over the Gulf of
Mexico.
> >> >>> Hungry there were too.  I saw the yellow, common yellow throat,
blue
> >> >>> winged, black and white, black-throated green, chestnut sided,
> >> >>> Blackburnian and Magnolia warblers; American Redstarts,
Philadelphia
> >> >>> Vireos and big orange and black Baltimore Orioles, just to name a
> >> >>> few.  It
> >> >>> is always a treat to see one, but I saw three, Three painted
> >> >>> buntings (1
> >> >>> F, 2 M).  I, with three very helpful birdwatchers left the scene
> >> >>> right
> >> >>> about dusk, all of us exclaiming how good the day had been. When we
> >> >>> stepped out of the woods, we saw a huge coastal sunset of pink,
> >> >>> blue and
> >> >>> gold.
> >> >>>
> >> >>>  -----------------------
> >> >>>  The storm blew across New Orleans late Saturday and left the
> >> >>> festival
> >> >>> grounds a bit muddy. Not a big problem, as The Boss did an
> >> >>> outstanding
> >> >>> performance with his Seeger Session band.  Protest songs,
anti-Bush,
> >> >>> anti-war had the very large crowd responding approvingly.  He was
all
> >> >>> acoustic except for a pedal steel.  That must be a hip new
> >> >>> instrument for
> >> >>> bands these days.  Bobby Dylan had a pedal steel on Friday night
> >> >>> Randy
> >> >>> reported, that gave his set a bit of a Bob Wills sound - and
> >> >>> Dylans' white
> >> >>> suit and cowboy hat made quite a swing band impression. I guess for
> >> >>> contrast, his band wore grey suits with black Bolers.
> >> >>>
> >> >>>  Saturday night Dr. John must have felt like he was home at last.
> >> >>> His
> >> >>> final song of his set was from Sly and the Family Stone, "Thank
> >> >>> you for
> >> >>> letting me be myself, again."
> >> >>>
> >> >>>  Attendance at this year's JazzFest are big, big, big, with long
> >> >>> lines for
> >> >>> tickets, cabs, restaurant tables.  The Crescent City must really
> >> >>> be happy
> >> >>> about all those folks coming back for the best party New Orleans
> >> >>> puts on.
> >> >>>
> >> >>>  Connie
> >> >>>
> >> >>>
> >> >>> ---------------------------------
> >> >>> How low will we go? Check out Yahoo! Messenger's low  PC-to-Phone
> >> >>> call
> >> >>> rates.
> >> >>
> >> >>
> >>
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >> >> ----------
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